BOYS TEAM
Monett boys wrestling returns eight varsity wrestlers this season. That group includes Dyson Cutbirth (sophomore, 113), Luis Sanchez (sophomore, 120), Chris Spears (sophomore, 132), Isaiah Dowery (sophomore, 157), Henry Reed (sophomore, 165), Kaleb Farris (senior, 190), Aidan McCall-Thomas (senior, 215) and Porter Reed (senior, 285).
Reed and McCall-Thomas along with Tucker Anderson have shown strong off-season improvement according to Monett boys head coach Ben Hohensee.
“Porter Reed has impressed me with his leadership through the summer and off-season. His work ethic and drive had led him to have a great football season, and I look for that progress to transition over to wrestling,” Hohensee said. “He’s always had the tools to win big matches, but now he has the confidence to push him over the edge. Aidan McCall-Thomas and Tucker Anderson are two other guys who have shown real progress. They were very active during the off-season and both have opportunities for a solid post season run this year.”
Anderson is returning as a junior.
“Adding Tucker Anderson to the lineup will help a ton,” Hohensee said. “He wrestled in youth for years and had lots of success. He is coming back to us as a junior and will compete for a starting spot in our upper weights.”
The returning sophomores will also have greater expectations after seeing a lot of varsity action as freshmen.
“We have multiple sophomores that will be fighting for varsity spots again this year including Dyson Cutbirth, Luis Sanchez, Chris Spears, Isaiah Dowery, and Henry Reed,” Hohensee said. “These guys did a great job last year filling some spots for us. This year, the expectation will be higher.”
There will also be freshmen looking to make immediate impacts.
“We have a good group of freshmen coming in,” Hohensee said. “They are gritty and tough kids. I look forward to watching them grow as the season kicks off.”
German foreign exchange student Hrodgar Wetzel
“For us to have a successful season, we have to start winning hard positions and matches,” Hohensee said. “Good teams overcome adversity and it’s something we have been focusing on. I want to see our kids compete every match and never give up.”
GIRLS TEAM
The girls side will have two returners in Mary Elizabeth “Libby” Jastal and Natalie Canales. Jastal will wrestle in the 100-110 pound range. Canales will be 125 to 135.
“Both returners put time in this summer and look to make improvements to last season,” Monett girls head coach Justin Semerad said.
Freshman Samantha Cosper will wrestle 100-110 in her first season.
“Samantha is a newcomer to wrestling,” Semerad said. “She came to a lot of our open mats and preseason workouts. She is athletic and aggressive, but there will be a learning curve for her as she works on her technique.”
Semerad has goals for each wrestler this season.
“For Libby getting on the podium this year, for Natalie it is to continue building upon last years successes and developing as a wrestler. Next year she will be the leader of the program,” Semerad said. “For Samantha success will be staying motivated as a young wrestler and learning how to fight through adversity.”
